Archive for August2017

539 people in Connecticut died of accidental drug intoxication deaths during the first six months of 2017, which projects to 1078 for the year, an increase of 17.5% over 2016, according to the state Medical Examiner’s Office. Fentanyl continued to fuel the rise in deaths. Fentanyl was present in 322 deaths during the first half […]

In view of Hurricane Harvey and the rescue efforts now underway, I am posting notes from my journal when I was posted in Gulfport, Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Day One: Waiting On the morning of September 17, we meet at the office and a chair van driver takes us up to the […]

One of the main reasons opioid overdose deaths have been increasing is the rise of fentanyl sold either combined with heroin or in place of heroin. Fentanyl, which is 50 times stronger than heroin, has a stronger affinity for the opioid receptors in the brain than heroin. Toxicologists have said that while naloxone is still […]

You carry four 100 mcgs vials of Fentanyl in your controlled substances kit. How much would those vials be worth on the street? Let’s do the math. 100 mcgs of Fentanyl is the equivalent of 10 mgs of Morphine. Morphine is 50% as strong as heroin. Morphine is the equivalent of 50% pure heroin. A […]

While headlines of deadly Fentanyl creating Haz Mat scenes and causing first responders to be hospitalized continue to dominate the news, on July 10, 2017 with little fanfare, the US Institute for Occupational Health and Safety removed the statement “skin absorption can be deadly” from its Fentanyl page. You can read their safety recommendations here: […]

The call is for a possible overdose. A tall attractive young woman in leopard skin pants, and a Ginger from Gilligan’s Island hairdo, meets us at the apartment door. She is high. Her balance as she sways in front of us is so bad it is making me dizzy just looking at her. “Thank you […]

Thesis: People addicted to prescription painkillers who buy their pills on the black market switch to heroin because it is a better economic deal (cheaper and stronger). The Situation: When a person’s painkiller prescription runs out or their tolerance outruns their prescription, and the user still needs opioids to keep from being sick, the user […]

Great article on ems1.com Medical commentary on the issue of danger to first responders of transdermal fentanyl exposure. Dr. Tan, discussing transdermal fentanyl exposure, agrees that exposure as would be typically encountered by first responders is an extremely low risk. “It is not zero risk and certainly not impossible, but extremely low,” he said. Fact or […]

“Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it, so that when men come to be undeceived, it is too late; the jest is over, and the tale hath had its effect.” – Jonathan Swift This quote came to me from a respected toxicologist after reading some news accounts of public safety response to possible fentanyl […]

Cat CampYou gave her 20 Milligrams?!!I never even knew EMS could give a "transporting patient" any pain meds at all. Guess you can tell Ive Never (Thank God) had to be transorted in a rescue before. That is until recently, Jan 8, 2018. I slipped and dislocated my shoulder!!! The Pain was unbearable!! I pray I never experience that pain…
2018-02-10 09:08:03

Barbara WrightAngry Snowman: Naloxone RefusalsBIG CITY MEDIC, amazing how you tear down the attempts of someone trying to save a life at the time or the future. I would have fought for the user to go to the hospital. Big City Medic would lead me to believe you are becoming big city hardened
2018-02-06 19:45:34

NateNaloxone in Cardiac Arrest"What drug do you give?" is a trick question. In cardiac arrest of any cause, the one proven benefit to survival is CPR. Good CPR is a rarity. Most is middling. Second, in VF/VT arrest, the only thing that changes is defibrillation, after good CPR. The rest of ACLS has a paucity of data. It's…
2018-02-05 04:35:24

JordanMother and SonDrug overdoses are normally the ones you get back. So always especially difficult when you don’t. Only a recently qualified Paramedic and haven’t had to deliver bad news as of yet. Dreading the day I do.
2018-01-25 13:45:09